Targeted inactivation of the androgen receptor gene in murine proximal epididymis causes epithelial hypotrophy and obstructive azoospermia.

ABSTRACT: The epithelial lining of the epididymal duct expresses the androgen receptor (Ar) along its entire length and undergoes rapid and profound degeneration when androgenic support is withdrawn. However, experiments involving orchidectomy with systemic testosterone replacement, and testicular efferent duct ligation, have indicated that structural and functional integrity of the initial segment cannot be maintained by circulating androgen alone, leaving the role of androgen in this epididymal zone unclear. We addressed this question in a mouse model with intact testicular output and selective Ar inactivation in the proximal epididymis by creating double-transgenic males carrying a conditional Ar(loxP) allele and expressing Cre recombinase under the promoter of Rnase10, a gene specifically expres

SUBMITTER: Krutskikh A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3101806 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature